I highly suggest everyone go try the demo....or, ya know, maybe watch my review on YouTube/Steam.

Linky linky, please!

As for Age of Decadence, this lucky reviewer got a copy form the developer and posted a review already. It is AMAZING.

After finishing it, I find myself lukewarm on the game. Perhaps that was, in part, influenced by my gameplay choices (grifter, non-violence), but it was basically go to point X, talk to guy, pass skillcheck (or not), then go to point Y and repeat the process. There's some good writing and a nice vibe to it, but the gameworld is actually quite flat and shallow. It's really more of an interactive Choose Your Own Adventure book than a game in many ways. You could say that about some RPG masterpieces, like Planescape: Torment, but P:T engaged you with amazing characters, made you care about your story (and those of your companions). There was none of that in AoD; I was just a cypher wandering the world trying to get paid and avoid dying.

Steam review for The Age of Decadence. YouTube Review. Demo available here.

The Good Face - That is exactly what I enjoyed about it. The fact that it is a choose your own adventure that has been brought to life. I think the major difference between our experiences is that I was very much into the story and dialogue, so it kept me hooked. I cannot wait to try it from each different perspective. I have done some as a Merchant and some as a Loremaster.

Ok. So I got my Steam Controller and I must say I like it a lot. The trackball/pad thingie fuc ruining like a mouse is a sweet little bonus. Still learning all of its kinks, but am glad I pre-ordered one of these.

Also, did some Ark: Survival Evolved livestreaming this weekend. Fantastic game. I have pet dinosaurs now and was eaten by a megaladon. Couldn't be happier!

Lastly, are we supposed to start a new one if these OT threads every month? The gaming one is kinda spotty. It'll go weeks on end with only a handful of posts, then someone will start a tangent that gets us all going for like a page or two, then it dies again.

I wouldn't be inclined to worry about starting a new Gaming thread until this one's at least 500 posts or so.

We could always go quarterly. Intermittently also works.

I've been playing a bunch more of Sunless Sea. What a fun, atmospheric game if you have the time to putt putt around the vast zee.

I think he is mostly asking, because there was a decree from Jim to keep OT threads on a short respawn, to reduce the server load.

That was due to post count though. Zeth is right, we are probably good to just create new ones when we hit 500 or so posts.

Yeah, the OTP thread goes 400 posts a day, and restarts once a week. It'll take the OTG thread two or three months to get to 500 posts.

One more day until Fallout 4, one of two games that I am purchasing at release this year. (The other one is Star Wars Battlefront.) Both for Xbox One.

I have a PC that I use for about a quarter of my gaming and it's definitely serviceable, but some of my closest friends that live out of town have consoles and don't have appropriate computers, so it's a way to play multiplayer games and catch up with them.

Justifying for your filthy console peasantry. Shameful.

I have a PC that I use for about a quarter of my gaming and it's definitely serviceable, but some of my closest friends that live out of town have consoles and don't have appropriate computers, so it's a way to play multiplayer games and catch up with them.

I'm torn on Battlefront: one of the friends I'd play online with has an Xbone, I've got a PS4 and a PC that I'm about to plunge on a new graphics card for. Tempted to go PC all the way (I'm all in on F4 for PC), PS4 is mainly for exclusives.

Any friend who wants you to play a FPS game on a console is not really a friend.

Any friend who wants you to play a FPS game on a console is not really a friend.

It's tough to strike the elitist pose when we're talking about a lowest common denominator Star Wars game, no?

I really don't like mouse and keyboard, even though I know with practice, it's the most efficient way to play a FPS. I'm certainly not playing multiplayer with a controller against mouse and keyboard folks.

I have a 360, Xbone, PS3, and PS4 in addition to a gaming-capable PC. Most of the games I play are just as good on console and if I'm playing on my TV (65" vs. 27"), the PC doesn't even give me much if any graphics improvement. I use the PC for mostly strategy games and older stuff, and I use the consoles for nearly any twitch game.

It's tough to strike the elitist pose when we're talking about a lowest common denominator Star Wars game, no?

Doesn't matter. An FPS is an FPS and anyone who wants you to use a controller to play one is evil by definition.

Doesn't matter. An FPS is an FPS and anyone who wants you to use a controller to play one is evil by definition.

Just too much like for my couch-- at my desk for 10+ hours a day, the last thing I want to do in my pewpewpew time is log more hours there.

Just keep your clumsy, untalented, aim-assisted console peasantry away from the more superior PC Master Race players when you're playing Battlezone. I think they announced the game has multiplatform servers didn't they?

Does anybody make a gizmo so that you can play with mouse and keyboard on a console?

Just too much like for my couch-- at my desk for 10+ hours a day, the last thing I want to do in my pewpewpew time is log more hours there.

I have a similar issue but a different reaction. For me, my free time is too limited to torture myself by playing FPS games with a controller. I have no problem with consoles(I will be buying a PS4 soon to play PES16), but would never play a FPS on a console.

I have a similar issue but a different reaction. For me, my free time is too limited to torture myself by playing FPS games with a controller.

Yeah, it's just never bothered me. And I say this as someone who came really late to consoles. RTSs are another matter altogether, and I'm doubtful the Steam Controller will fix that. Plus I like rumble in FPSs, you lose that with a KB/mouse.

Been on the hunt for a nice mechanical keyboard for gaming (I use an old Apple aluminum KB right now bc it's fairly effortless for writing), maybe that will nudge me back in the other direction. Suggestions?

Been on the hunt for a nice mechanical keyboard for gaming (I use an old Apple aluminum KB right now bc it's fairly effortless for writing), maybe that will nudge me back in the other direction. Suggestions?

Find a place that has them in store and try them out. Figure out which switch type you prefer, then get a keyboard with those. The rest of the stuff is just for show. For reference, I have Logitech Orion, which is overpriced even at the severely discounted price I paid, but still a nice keyboard. It has some custom switch(Romer-G or something like that), but they are basically the same as Cherry MX Reds. No clicky, no tactile feedback, lowered actuation force. This site has a good description of the differences between the various Cherry MX switches.

Been on the hunt for a nice mechanical keyboard for gaming (I use an old Apple aluminum KB right now bc it's fairly effortless for writing), maybe that will nudge me back in the other direction. Suggestions?

World's Best Mechanical Keyboard.

Thanks. Last time I looked into this I thought brown would be best--dual duty as typing/gaming KB--but maybe switching between two KBs for writing and gaming would be the better option.

I have a 10-day trip coming up later this week, desperately want to skip with F4 and the Link/Controller both arriving tomorrow...

World's Best Mechanical Keyboard.

There are only two kinds of keyboards: Model M's/Unicomps, and keyboards that suck.

(Caveat 1: If you game more than you type then it doesn't matter. Caveat 2: If your computer is in any area frequented by anyone besides yourself, you will probably be soon murdered if you do a lot of typing on a Model M, and the jury will probably acquit.)

I actually have a little scissor keyboard I use when I play Skyrim or whatever. I have an irrational fear of wearing out the WASD keys before their time, despite the well known fact that unless I spill a drink on it my Unicomp will very likely outlive me.

I bought Grav Reborn. Not exactly a good first couple hours last night. Apparently there's an issue with the low level mobs spawn rate on any semi populated server. I joined an official server and it quickly turned into a running simulator as so many survival games do. I finally managed to find a cave with some low level mobs and was gunned down by a guy with a pistol (I had a knife).

Fun times. The mechanics of the game seem pretty similar to Rust (the spawn mechanic for example) so I'm sure I'll get the hang of it soon. I wasn't even making a spawn point and apparently just like Rust that's a critical first step. That and making the "locator" which acts as your map and guide. Will try that stuff tonight when I get home and see if I can get past level 2.

Progress is stored server side just like Rust so I have to find a good server and stick with it. Apparently there are some good community servers so you don't have to play the official ones.

On a positive note load times and frame rate were non issues. I have a semi decent rig (i7 2600k, GTX 960 SSC 2GB, 8GB ram) and was able to play it on high setting at 1440p no problem. The game is gorgeous.

I used to use the Cherry MX Browns, but my last two keyboards (one had a gravy-related accident) I've been using the Cherry MX Reds instead. While the Browns have tactile feedback, I find that after getting used to a Red keyboard over a few weeks, you don't actually miss that feedback as your brain adjusts. Now that I'm long used to Reds, I find them incredibly smooth and I can type in the 140 wpm range and the linear nature of the switches makes them very useful in gaming.

Hey DJS, since you're here and you're pretty much the acknowledged PC build guru... I'm trying to rescue my mother from buying my nephew a computer at Walmart or someplace. She has very little money to spend on it. Obviously a budget system builder should wait about, oh, 20 days to buy parts, but can I ping you and your voodoo skills at that time? The goal here's going to be to do the best we can with about $500 to buy everything except the case, optical drive, monitor and OS.

Sure!

General use PC? Light gaming rig? You can actually get a lot for $500 if the case/OS/drive aren't coming out of that.

It's for a 13-year-old who's very into gaming, so we'll want to squeeze as much gaming bang out of our short supply of bucks as we can.

We can hopefully do a bit better after Thanksgiving, but here's a $500 build not counting case/OS/drive.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4170 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($113.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Tactical Tracer 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 380 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($172.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($52.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHDS118-04 DVD/CD Drive ($13.49 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($89.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $659.06
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-10 01:03 EST-0500

That'll run anything nicely at 1080p. Depending on sales, the goal should be to try to get him up to an i5, hopefully with some motherboard/GPU sales. Want to squeeze in as much GPU as possible!

I may get some sort of keyboard for gaming; I use a Kinesis Advantage for everything else, but it's a PITA to remap everything all the time. I'll probably get something mechanical. Any ideas? I hate stupid minimal hipster keyboards; give me more keys! I'll find a use for them!

So which of you mugs got Fallout 4 already?

So which of you mugs got Fallout 4 already?

I downloaded it last night, but am waiting to fire it up 'til after work today when I can sit down for 30 hours in a row and play.

Gonna poopsock it, eh?

Just perused the reviews on STEAM for Fallout 4 -- seems like it got "consolized". That and it uses the Skyrim engine that while still nice looking isn't exactly cutting edge in 2015. Plenty of positive reviews but also quite a few negative ones for a beloved AAA franchise. I could never really get into the lore of Fallout but for those that do I'm sure it's a fine game but some are complaining about lack of customization and RPG elements.

I did a 4 hour play session on Grav last night and had a great time. I got up to level 10 and built a little base that hopefully I secured properly (I'm on a pvp server) that I will find intact tonight when I log on. I'm not sure why more people aren't playing this game: the mechanics are rock solid; the UI is well done (except for the awful "on" "off" menu) and the graphics are absolutely gorgeous and well optimized. Spamming the pistol on mobs gets a little boring but I didn't find it that grindy, especially coming from Rust.

The end game looks completely different from the early game and I'm curious if it will hold my attention until I get there but right now I feel like the only thing holding this game back is more populated servers.

Skyrim with guns!

Let me preface this by saying that I really like the Elder Scrolls games, especially Morrowind and Skyrim.

Bethesda ####### ruined Fallout and everyone involved in Fallout 3/4 should be launched into the sun.

Just perused the reviews on STEAM for Fallout 4 -- seems like it got "consolized". That and it uses the Skyrim engine that while still nice looking isn't exactly cutting edge in 2015. Plenty of positive reviews but also quite a few negative ones for a beloved AAA franchise. I could never really get into the lore of Fallout but for those that do I'm sure it's a fine game but some are complaining about lack of customization and RPG elements.

On metacritic the user score for PC is only 5.2 and it has more negative reviews than positive. It's not just old timey bitter Fallout fans mad at them anymore.

Like a lot of Bethesda games it will probably be better in like 3 years when it costs a lot less and there are like a million mods for it.

At this point expecting any real RPG elements from their games is wishful thinking, they are pretty firmly entrenched as mostly sandbox adventure games.

Yea 5.2 is pretty low. Eh, not my cup of tea and only playing Fallout 3 myself for maybe 20 hours at most it's hard to have an opinion but in general it seems the longer a AAA franchise goes the more it lacks what fans of previous iterations loved.

Like a lot of Bethesda games it will probably be better in like 3 years when it costs a lot less and there are like a million mods for it.

Yup. Back to Witcher 3 for me!

We haven't seen Bethesda's last attempt at monetizing mods. Not by a long shot.

I simply do not enjoy those Bethesda games.

First impression - Fallout 4 really seems like it was designed for kids with controllers. I turned off the glowing "GO HERE" beacon that it displayed for every single objective, but all the mouse and keyboard commands just seem like they were ported over. Especially the dialog arrow.

I liked Fallout 2

Bethesda games always just feel clunky to me. I tried oblivion and was equally bored with it and frustrated at the controls. I played a good bit of FO3, but the same clunky controls existed. Almost forced to use VATS to get around the awful fps game it was.
I checked out some streams today and damn that ui on the pc looks awful. It was eye straining just to observe, without even playing. That combined with them using the same decade old engine, let's just say I'm in no rush to pick it up.

Fallout's voiced name list was compiled and posted. It's almost 1000 names and it's... really white. Like, Brayden but not Jose or DeAndre white. Much more gender balanced than expected, though. And of course plenty of gag names. Surprised #### is in there, though.

I'm incredibly hyped for Fallout 4, if just to walk around Boston. But I'm waiting on it for it's first big bugfix. When I started New Vegas I played 50 hours and lost everything to bugs.

As for the Bethesda style, it doesn't do much for me. The world ends up feeling vast and empty. 50 bandits for every person living in a town made up of a half dozen buildings. But Bethesda is at least enjoyable. I've tried getting into the Witcher series repeatedly, but it keeps sloughing off before I really get stuck in. Perhaps I should just give up on the first game, I keep getting to the city and just losing interest. And when I loaded up 2 after a friend said "no, seriously, they stopped with the shitty/lazy every woman's either a crone or got her tits hanging out and there's literally collectibles for who Geralt bangs" what do I see in the opening? Triss and Geralt, in bed obviously post coital, loving camera action over all of Triss's naked polygons, and Geralt with his pants on because eww dicks. It's unfair, but #### it. I'm a 33 year old man. If I want sex shoved in my face like I'm a penis attached to a wallet I'll watch the commercials during football games.

This has been SJW corner with Justice Anthony Kennedy.

The default UI on Skyrim is a disaster, too. Fortunately there has long been a mod that fixes it.

I could never really get into the lore of Fallout but for those that do I'm sure it's a fine game but some are complaining about lack of customization and RPG elements.

I'm an old-school Fallout fanboy, to the tune of I followed every scrap of news on the original Fallout 3, for years. I liked Fallout 3 ok (helped that it was set in a city I was living in at the time), and it at least scratched the itch if not satisfied. But it absolutely did not get the lore right, and from everything I've read, Fallout 4 makes the same mistakes. New Vegas was a much better, and much more Fallout-y, game.

As for Elder Scrolls in general, I'm actually forbidden from pointing out Skyrim's many, many flaws in the PC gaming IRC I hang out in because I've done it so often and nobody wants to hear it. Morrowind would have been a great game if they hadn't stuck with the horrible combat and skill system of Daggerfall, but now that they've finally abandoned that they make big, pretty, utterly empty, utterly boring game worlds.

I will buy Fallout 4 eventually, though. I probably would have already, even knowing that I'm going to be annoyed by it, but my PC is not up to it. It's the first Fallout game since F1(not including the console game that shall not be named) that I didn't buy on release day.

So is it pointless to buy a 4K TV as a monitor?

I could never really get into the lore of Fallout but for those that do I'm sure it's a fine game but some are complaining about lack of customization and RPG elements.

The series now has like 4 significantly different lores, which doesn't help. New Vegas is the only one in released in the last 15 years that has any kind of consistency with the original lore, it's also the only one with any kind of real role playing released during that time.

I got the first Fallout game that day it released and New Vegas is probably my favorite game from the last 10 years, but I don't know if I'll ever play Fallout 4. Not because the lore is different, but because it looks like mostly a weak shooter, with only minimal role playing elements, lots of pointless time consuming hiking and terrible and likely logically inconsistent writing. I'll probably never play Dragon Age Inquistion either, despite how much I played Origins. If Obsidian makes another Fallout I'd play that, but not going to hold my breath waiting for that to happen.

I liked wasteland 2 quite a bit, but couldn't quite bring myself to finish it. Got to the "scene change", and just decided I didn't really need another 40 hours (WAG) of above average isomorphic party combat.

I think Wasteland 2 is better after the location change, I thought the weakest part of the game was the time leading up the location change, especially the canyon area. I also found the rail nomad area to be pretty boring.

For the most part I enjoyed Wasteland 2, I didn't like it as much as Shadowrun Dragonfall, but I like it more than Hong Kong and SRS. A lot of people really like the combat in Divinity: OS, but I never really got into that game because I found so many other aspects of it lacking, especially the choices in character models.

Maybe it was the canyon that burned me out on the game. That was pretty tedious. Rail Nomads I did too early I think? I liked it but it was super frustrating.

Yeah there are way too many trash mobs in the canyon and once you finally get through that, Damonta is mostly boring mobs as well. I actually started a second playthrough once so I could do Highpool instead of Ag Center and try some different party members, but as soon as I looked at the canyon again I gave up.

Bought Fallout 4. The UI is pretty terrible (OMG, the crafting system is just a mess), and the gameplay still can't quite seem to decide whether it wants to be a proper shooter or an RPG, but on the bright side my character has a spiffy jumpsuit and a big ole Army helmet and looks like the spitting image of Mike Dukakis in the tank. 10/10, would buy again.

Scott, it doesn't count as SJW-y unless you're mad at *us* for playing the games!

My GPU went boom today. Two months after warranty ran out! At least it gave me an excuse to upgrade to a 390x (I had a 7970 and it's still likely too small an upgrade if it hadn't died). Was strongly considering a 980ti, but when it comes down to it, I'm using a very nice 1080p monitor and it wastes that GPU and by the time I make the splash into 4K gaming, we'll have faster refreshing 4K monitors and the cards that run well at 4K will be less expensive.

But man, playing WOW in low resolution is very depressing.

The default UI on Skyrim is a disaster, too. Fortunately there has long been a mod that fixes it.

Yeah, it's not much fun to play a magic user in Skyrim in vanilla, simply because there's too little action mapping. By the time Skyrim came out, there was no excuse for this - I can do the numbers, alt+numbers, ctrl+numbers for each of the 12 buttons on my mouse's thumbpad and get most of my heat-of-the-moment commands set in like every MMO out there, including WOW which is a very old game at this point.

If the main purpose is gaming, 4K TV for monitor doesn't make much sense unless you have a GPU that can really crank out the FPS at that resolution (980ti, R9 295x2).

My GPU went boom today. Two months after warranty ran out! At least it gave me an excuse to upgrade to a 390x

Awww, with a new chipset coming out in 2016 and everything :(

I'm going to upgrade to a 144Hz multisynch monitor but I figured I would wait until the new chipset comes out so I can take advantage of the downward pressure it will put on the current generation and upgrade my graphics card as well. I'm thinking a 390 or 390x too.

Thanks Dan for the info.

Has anyone played Battlefront yet? I want to get back into gaming, so I think that would be a game that would get me back into it, provided it was good. I want to go the build route, but too indecisive to pull the trigger.

As a cheapskate and a person who tends to play old games, I'm happy that monitor/TV technology is swiftly lurching forward, such that a 60Hz 24-inch monitor can easily be snagged well under $100 if you look around. Come to think of it, I might snag another one or even two come Cyber Monday because by next year they might be gone for good. I've already heard pretty much all the name manufacturers have stopped making 60Hz 1080-and-under monitors and any such monitor you see on the market now is either being cleared out or is a cheap Chinese knockoff that you'll probably be sorry you paid even $70 for.

Has anyone played Battlefront yet? I want to get back into gaming, so I think that would be a game that would get me back into it, provided it was good. I want to go the build route, but too indecisive to pull the trigger.

I played the beta. The graphics are nice and the game plays smoothly. However, the game itself seems like a simplified version of BF4 with Star Wars skins. Basically, if you are big Star Wars fan and like FPS games, I would say buy it otherwise save your money.

If you're more of a gamer than a Star Wars nerd you might be more interested in this weekend's beta test of "Overwatch" instead. It looks like a really souped-up version of TF2 with all of the Blizzard charm that has made so many of their IPs successful. I'm very interested.

I think the last Battlefield I played was 2 (the first one with "modern" weapons) and liked it fairly well. When I was into gaming more, I played Diablo I/II, Counterstrike, Starcraft I/II, SimCity and Civ IV. I tried playing Cities: Skyline a bit but it was a little buggy on my Macbook. I've also tried Europa Universalis based on your recommendations, but the learning curve was a bit steep. As you can tell from the games I listed, I'm a bit old for a gamer so picking up new things is harder and more frustrating. Never been a huge console gamer - I did like playing the GTA games though. I am pretty big into Star Wars. I realize any game I pick up now that is played primarily online is going to be a challenge, but gaming is cheaper than gambling.

I have some vacation time to use before the end of the year so that should be good for building a PC and playing some games. I'm thinking I'll buy Black Friday/Cyber Monday.

I ordered the Star Wars game, but before I could start it I feel back into Diablo III. It's like my own little Skinner box.

Ok, the joys of dressing up like Mike Dukakis aside, I've put more time into Fallout 4 and there's a lot to like there. A lot of stuff I'm not crazy about too, but it's a better game than a lot of the disgruntled Fallout fans on the intarwebs are giving it credit for.

The good:

1. The crafting/customization system is cool and much more ambitious than previous iterations. It has problems (see below), but at least they were thinking big.

2. Loot. Finally all that crap lying around the wasteland can be put to use via the crafting system.

3. Enemies. Much better done than previous games. The AI is stronger and harder to cheese with stealth tactics. Still doable, but not nearly as ridiculous as Skyrim ("Must have been the wind!" as his buddy sits dead next to him with an arrow in his skull). Visuals and animations are far superior too. Feral ghouls in particular are terrifying in a way that they never used to be. Watching them scrambling out from under cars or pouring down from the ceiling is a game changer.

4. Gunplay. It's still not quite up to snuff with top FPS games, but it's better. Changing VATS to slow-mo is annoying to me (cause I'm old and not as twitchy as I once was), but it does lend urgency to the gunplay.

5. Characterization. The companions are, so far, well done. I'm interested in them and their stories, and the voice acting is pretty sharp. Way better than FO3, and at least on par with New Vegas IMO.

6. Emergent gameplay. One of the things Bethesda does better than anybody else, and it's pretty cool. Really helps with immersion and making you feel like you're part of the world.

The Bad:

1. Bugs. Yeah, it's a Bethesda game shortly after launch, and it's better than their previous efforts, but it still ain't great. Expect to have your weapon randomly disappear from the screen. (reloading will usually fix that) About 10% of the time you'll simply get stuck on a computer terminal when you finish using it. Again, reloading. Sometimes you'll just get stuck in 3rd person view and can't change back or interact with anything. There are others, but those are most frequent and annoying ones for me.

2. Friendly NPC pathing and AI. Ouch. NPCs will get stuck on the terrain and jam doorways like it's 1999. Dogmeat in particular is an incredibly realistic Dog Simulator; he whines and grunts constantly when you want him to be quiet, he's underfoot when you're trying to move, he's 50 yards away when you need him close, he's constantly bumping into furniture and knocking #### over... kudos Bethesda. As usual, companions mess up stealth gameplay; you're painstakingly sneaking into position for some sniping whereupon your companion will open up on the bad guys with her pistol from 75 yards out. Facepalm.

3. Facial animations. Bethesda has always been a bit uncanny valley, but this is really, really bad. The lip synchronization during cut scenes is especially egregious.

4. The crafting system. The UI manages to be both confusing to understand AND difficult to use once you do understand it. Creative and dedicated players can overcome this and do some cool stuff, but it's really tempting to just sort of say "why bother?" and ignore it.

5. Conversational system. It's done using the well established wheel system so common in console RPGs, but you get virtually no information as to what your character will say based on the in-game prompts. Not that it matters much, since your voiced protagonist has a flat affect and non-existent emotional depth regardless of what you say. It's a shame, because Mass Effect showed that fully voiced protagonists could be strong and compelling characters in their own right, but Bethesda missed the mark here.

A manga for DJS

I have been enjoying fallout 4, but yeah, it desperately needs some mods and some bugfixes.

Most annoying one for me so far, is that occasionally when I tab into windows, when I come back the UI occupies only about 3/4 of the screen, and you can't aim or click on anything. Basically have to f5, then alt f4 and restart the game.

One of my companions managed to get lost after completing a mission... had to eventually console magic him back to me.

The settlement population cap is way too low. 10 + charisma score... even at a max of 21, a place like sanctuary would be mostly empty. Should really be a times instead of a plus.

Also I was runnig around sanctuary building some stuff, and kept hearing strange animal noises... looked everywhere, and couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Eventually discovered that a trader left his brahmin on the roof of my house... it's been days, and it's still there.

I am hoping for a little help here , i am a fan of the pc game axis and aliles, and that type of turn based strategy games that are like the old avalon hill games, i personally cant stand 1 person shooter games , i prefer simple strategy turn based games, but i have no clue where to look , if there are actually any out there, or which ones are good?
i realize this might be outside of the interests of the people on this thread, i just thought i would take a chance.

I am hoping for a little help here , i am a fan of the pc game axis and aliles, and that type of turn based strategy games that are like the old avalon hill games, i personally cant stand 1 person shooter games , i prefer simple strategy turn based games, but i have no clue where to look , if there are actually any out there, or which ones are good?
i realize this might be outside of the interests of the people on this thread, i just thought i would take a chance.

Turn-Based forms the majority of my playing time. The short answer is it depends what you're looking for.

For turn-based military simulation, I know a lot of people love the Ageod (a developer) games. So far I haven't found one I loved, but "To End All Wars" (Their newest First World War Game) has been on my wishlist for a while at it looks super fun (though still waiting for a sale)

For tactical turn based war games, there is Pike and Shot, a 17th century turn-based battle simulator...for those of us who aren't quick witted enough for real-time Total War combat.

For a wider scope of full on nation simulation (with the focus on economy, religion, culture, and stability rather than just combat), the Paradox Games are amazing. Hearts of Iron (their WW2 game) is about to open a BETA for a new version, but Hearts of Iron 3 is still plenty immersive if WW2 is your go to era. Others would recommend Crusader Kings 2 (their medieval game), I'm partial to Europa Univeralis 4....but they're all good. Technically not turned based, but there is a lot of pausing while you make decisions, do things...so it's effectively turn based.

4-X games may also be up your alley...turn based games where you develop a society, usually from scratch. Civilization is the gold standard (currently on Civilization 5, a great game, though some here will tell you Civ 4 is superior). But there's a ton of variation in this genre, Endless Legend is a beautiful Civ type game with a fantasy twist...Eador: Genesis is another favourite for a visually basic, but still deep experience...there are a lot of this style of game which take place in space, though I've yet to find one I love.

X-Com is a great modern game for turn-based squad fighting, though if the old isometric turn based stuff is your thing, there's a ton of Avernum games to play.

Shadowrun is another great turn-based squad combat game. Not as polished as X-Com...but very fun with a lot of different options of play.

There are also board games you can play on PC....I think Ticket to Ride is on Steam now.

thanks greg i will check some of your suggestions out for sure!

Stellaris from Paradox may be the 4x space game that meets what you are looking for Greg.

The game I'm looking for is the City builder meets Civilization sandbox 4x game. There's probably only a market of 12 people though for a game like that, so I may be waiting a long time.

Stellaris from Paradox may be the 4x space game that meets what you are looking for Greg.

I've seen that it exists, though tantalizingly little info!

The game I'm looking for is the City builder meets Civilization sandbox 4x game. There's probably only a market of 12 people though for a game like that, so I may be waiting a long time.

I'm having fun with Banished...but that's even further from Civilization that any other city builder out there. Speaking of personal hobby horse games, I spent some time last week making up a 16th-17th Century English history game modelled on the "Munchkin" games. I've got about 25-30 cards designed. Will you have the espionage score necessary to resolve the Gunpowder Plot crisis? Or will an opponent play "Coin Clipping" on you and cause inflation-induced unrest to prevent you from sniffing it out?

Banished is pretty good, and Colonial Charter mod expands everything immensely. I'd love to be able to play a game that starts there (but simpler in terms of micromanagement, not the complexity) and grows into the next city, into the region, etc. Start with trade and cooperation, common defense, then form a common government, and let the Civ type game mechanics get introduced.

I'm having fun with Banished...but that's even further from Civilization that any other city builder out there. Speaking of personal hobby horse games, I spent some time last week making up a 16th-17th Century English history game modelled on the "Munchkin" games. I've got about 25-30 cards designed. Will you have the espionage score necessary to resolve the Gunpowder Plot crisis? Or will an opponent play "Coin Clipping" on you and cause inflation-induced unrest to prevent you from sniffing it out?

I'll reiterate my offer to help and/or balance test if you want the help.

I'll reiterate my offer to help and/or balance test if you want the help.

Oh this is a different game entirely. I should probably give you fair warning that coming up with an idea and then pursuing it for about 15 minutes before giving up is kind of my thing. I do have that strat-history game on the back burner though.

Banished is pretty good, and Colonial Charter mod expands everything immensely. I'd love to be able to play a game that starts there (but simpler in terms of micromanagement, not the complexity) and grows into the next city, into the region, etc. Start with trade and cooperation, common defense, then form a common government, and let the Civ type game mechanics get introduced.

That would be a glorious game.

The SanDisk Extreme Pro is on big sale ($164 for the 480GB) on Amazon. Is it worth it at that price? I don't really understand the differences between classes of SSDs.

I believe that's a good price - if I'm not mistaken, those are MLC NAND, not TLC NAND, with the higher lifespans with it (the SanDisk Ultras are the TLCs).

It just refers to bits per cell. The Triple (TLC) uses 3 bits per cell while MLC and SLC use fewer per cell and the lower density means you have more write cycles.

Here's an old comparison of Samsung 840s that talks a bit about this.

Here's a fun piece in which the author tries to destroy his SSDs with write cycles.

Why is anyone here reading this....THERE IS A STEAM SALE GOING ON!!!!!

Because of the new refund policy, there won't be any more insane 24-hour deals during Steam sales.
If they kept those, you'd have people buying games right away at the start of the sale, and then when the price dropped significantly, they just get a refund (because they haven't even installed it yet) and buying it again at the low price. So no more waiting/hoping for a better price. If it's on sale (during the event), that is the lowest price it will be for this event..

There is a new Dwarf Fortress out for those who like oddities.

The SanDisk Extreme Pro is on big sale ($164 for the 480GB) on Amazon. Is it worth it at that price? I don't really understand the differences between classes of SSDs.

During the Black Friday sales on Amazon.ca, I picked up a 500GB SSD for $149.95 (normally $239.95).

Why is anyone here reading this....THERE IS A STEAM SALE GOING ON!!!!!

Steam sale is over. Time to move on to the GOG BIG WINTER SALE!

With my recent video card purchase (for my new system I'm building), I have the opportunity to get a free game.

It's either:

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Seige

or

Assassin's Creed Syndicate

I've never played a game in either franchise, and I'm not sure which I should pick up.
I enjoy multiplayer games, but I was never that good in Counterstrike and I doubt my aging skillset has gotten any better at anything similar. As well, I doubt I'd be able to dedicate a lot of time to being better at the game (life/wife/child), so my teammates would have to handle me being among the bottom-feeders.
A single-player game might be a better choice, but would I be clueless having never played any of the previous AC games?

It might just be me but investing precious hours of my life to playing a game that's less interesting than other games I own or could own seems, to me, a lot like a baseball team running a player who can't play anymore out there every day because it already spent money on him. Just because you got game free alongside another purchase doesn't mean you have to play it. You could wrap it up and give it to someone who will enjoy it more, if you know any such person.

That may not be relevant. I can't really tell from your post whether you're really fired up about either game but it didn't seem like it.

Computer Building!

So I asked about exactly a year ago about building a rig for the first time, got a monitor, 8 GB RAM, and a power supply into the process, and then never finished. So it's time to complete the job, especially seeing as my laptop cannot run Fallout 4 at a playable level.

I will need an OS & tower. Also a keyboard, but that's something I can get on my own unless someone has a very specific recommendation.

Current parts
Power Supply: Antec HCG M Series HCG-620M 620W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Intel Haswell Fully Compatible
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-14900CL9D-8GBXL

Budget is ~$1000 for the rest.

Scott, it doesn't count as SJW-y unless you're mad at *us* for playing the games!

Hey, some people like their cucumber's pickled. Not for me to judge. Definitely going to whine about it, though. :) And from all the rhapsodies I've heard about the Witcher series I'm sure if I could just get into it I'd really enjoy it.

Assassin's Creed Syndicate

Rock, Paper, Shotgun really enjoyed Syndicate, and a well done AC game is a really fun experience. AC2 is still one of my favorite games of the last decade, and pirating in Rogue was a great, great time. Due to their crazy dev cycle it seems like only half the games come out anything close to fully baked, though. You should be able to drop in without any worries regarding the plot continuity, though. I hadn't played AC3 or Revelations when I played Rogue, and I didn't feel like I missed anything at all. I can't speak for Syndicate, but if it's a "good" AC title and are intrigued by the idea of running around rooftops in Victorian London while meeting tons of historical characters who turn out to be either master assassins or devious templars then I would give it a shot. I plan on picking it up myself when I see it heavily discounted.

I will need an OS & tower. Also a keyboard, but that's something I can get on my own unless someone has a very specific recommendation.

If you're a heavy gamer, you'll want something sturdy with n-key rollover; WASD is a good place to start.

If you do a lot of typing somewhere that there aren't usually other people nearby, the Unicomp (Model M) is the greatest keyboard ever produced by man.

If you do a lot of typing but there ARE usually other people nearby, go for one of the milder varieties of Cherry switches.

If you don't care and just want something reasonable and cheap, Microsoft's basic offerings are always reliable. I like scissor keys better than rubber domes myself if I must go cheap, but YMMV.

AssCreed 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 are all good games worth playing if you like action games. 2.2 (AssBros) is the best of them, but they are a continuous storyline if you care about stories. 2.1 is set in 15th century Florence and Venice, 2.2 is Rome, and 2.3 is Istanbul. If you have ever been to those cities it enhances the experience.

I never played III and never will, I'm waiting for IV to cross my price threshold, I'll never play V, but VI sounds like it's a good one. I guess Ubisoft are following the Microsoft every-other-sucks plan?

If you're a heavy gamer, you'll want something sturdy with n-key rollover; WASD is a good place to start.

As long as you don't utterly cheap out, almost any keyboard will work fine. Just pick one that feels good to your hands. I've been using a 1st gen Logitech G15 for more than a decade now. It's survived bourbon spills and a cat sleeping on it for years and still works fine (backlighting on the keys is about shot, but otherwise...).

Basically, if you cheap out you'll probably need to replace it soon-ish, but cheap keyboards are cheap, so whatever. If you buy a reasonably high quality keyboard, it'll probably last you a decade plus unless you're a WOW gold farmer or something.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($102.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($77.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 390 8GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($328.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($78.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0 DVD/CD Writer ($13.89 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($89.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $982.68
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-03 11:40 EST-0500

All ordered! Thank you, Dan.

As for the keyboard, I went with a basic Microsoft model, just because I don't need anything fancy and I'm already dropping 4 figures on the rest of the machine. When that breaks, I'll probably be much more willing to consider an 80-100 dollar keyboard.

Unless you pound the hell out of it even like a $15-20 Microsoft keyboard will last at least two or three years.

I've been beating the piss out of my #### standard Dell KB I found in some recycle been for the last 8 years and it's taken all the abuse I've thrown at it including ripping it out during one ore more epic rage quits and throwing it on the ground. Popped the keys back on and away we go. For the more hygenic among us the only thing I'd spend money on KB wise is one of the fancy washable ones that you can literally put in the dishwasher and away you go.

If you're building a new machine IMO it's time to go with Skylake and DDR4.

I've been beating the piss out of my #### standard Dell KB I found in some recycle been for the last 8 years and it's taken all the abuse I've thrown at it including ripping it out during one ore more epic rage quits and throwing it on the ground. Popped the keys back on and away we go. For the more hygenic among us the only thing I'd spend money on KB wise is one of the fancy washable ones that you can literally put in the dishwasher and away you go.

Yeah, the real reason to spend more on keyboards is to get additional features; backlit keys, extra programmable keys/quickbars, integrated displays, etc. Even low end keyboards by reasonably reputable manufacturers should last years and years.